Aussie PM says Laws of Mathematics unimportant

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said the laws of mathematics come second to the law of the land in a row over privacy and encryption.

Like most politicians who think they understand a bit about the Internet, Turnbull has been claiming that you can change the law to ban encryption and that software companies should provide secret back-doors to their products to help spooks out.

However Turnbull was challenged by a technology journalist about whether it was possible to tackle the problem of criminals using encryption -- given that platform providers claim they are currently unable to break into the messages even if required to do so by law.

Turnbull raised eyebrows as he made his reply and said: "Well the laws of Australia prevail in Australia, I can assure you of that. The laws of mathematics are very commendable, but the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia."

"The important thing is to recognise the challenge and call on the companies for assistance. I am sure they know morally they should... They have to face up to their responsibility."

I guess he means that while Maths has managed to do all sorts of good things, an Aussie law can bend reality and make the impossible happen.